Everything Inauguration

by: Meg Kribble - January 14th, 2009

The inauguration of President Elect and HLS alumnus Barack Obama and Vice President Elect Joe Biden is just a few days away. Are you ready to wow your friends with your knowledge of inauguration tradition and trivia on January 20? You will be after you read this post.

For example, did you know that Congress is in charge of the inauguration festivities taking place at the U.S. Capitol? The bipartisan Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies (JCCIC), members appointed by a concurrent resolution, makes all the arrangements for the swearing-in ceremony as well as the traditional inaugural luncheon.

The ceremony will take place on a platform on the west side of the Capitol that is built from scratch for each inauguration. Design for the 2009 platform began over a year ago. It will be made completely of wood to protect the Capitol steps, will be ADA compliant, and will hold over 1600 dignitaries. A level of bleachers above the platform will hold another 1000 people. That’s some platform! The Nail Driving Ceremony to mark the beginning of platform construction took place on September 24–over a month before the election took place! You can view photos and read quotes from the Nail Driving Ceremony, as well as view a slideshow of platform construction progress. Along with members of the JCCIC, Acting Architect of the Capitol Stephen T. Ayers hammered a nail into a plank during the ceremony. (If, like me, you didn’t know there was an Architect of the Capitol, you can learn more about the office’s responsibilities at the Architects of the Capitol website.)

After the swearing in, the festivities will move to the Capitol’s Statuary Hall for the inaugural luncheon. Since 1985, a significant American painting has been showcased during the luncheon. This inauguration, it’s Thomas Hill’s View of Yosemite Valley, reflecting “the majestic landscape of the American West and the dawn of a new era.” During the luncheon, Congress will present gifts of Lenox crystal to the new president and vice president on behalf of the American people. To see details and view video of previous luncheons back to Reagan’s first inauguration, check out the luncheon chronology.

To learn more historical details about each section of the inauguration day events, check out the links at the JCCIC Inauguration History page. One thing I learned there: unlike the president, who is traditionally sworn in by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, the vice president, at least since World War II, has chosen a friend or associate to administer the oath. Vice president elect Biden has selected Justice Stevens to administer his oath, following in the footsteps of Quayle and Gore, who were sworn in by associate justices at all of their inaugurations.

If you will miss watching the inauguration live due to classes or work, WGBH World will re-air the entire three hours of coverage from 7-10pm on Tuesday and midnight-3am on Wednesday.

Oh, and if you really want to impress your friends, consider serving them the same meal that the new President and Vice President will eat during the inauguration luncheon. The recipes for all the dishes are available [pdf link], and since they serve 10, they’d be just right for a party!